More on the New Brawn GP Team

Guest Author - Christine Blachford

When the news first emerged that the team formerly known as Honda was being bought out by Ross Brawn, the immediate feeling was one of relief. We need all the teams on the grid, and the more drivers there are, the more exciting the races is. Plus, no one wants to see a driver or engineer's career over like that, it just isn't fair.

Now that the initial hurrah has quietened down, the team are still making headlines by being particularly strong in testing. On their first day with the other competitors in Barcelona, Button led the timesheets for a large portion of the session. He ended the day fourth, but the team had a strong showing on the second day, and were topping the timesheets by the end of the third. Brawn has admitted that this isn't a surprise to him. Honda always said that they were sacrificing 2008 performance in order to concentrate on 2009, knowing that the massive regulation changes would even the playing field somewhat. Brawn says we are just seeing a manifestation of that.

Regarding the status of the team, Brawn concedes that the management buyout is only a medium term option, but was the only possible way to secure the future for all the employees. He has also confirmed the management team helping him out, which includes Nick Fry, who retains his role as CEO.

Button was always signed up to drive with the team, having committed to them last year. Brawn says that if there was any possible way, they wanted to honour the contract they held with him. Regarding Senna, Brawn says they were impressed by him, but circumstances worked against him, as they wanted the experience of Barrichello, and the ability for both drivers to jump in the car with very little learning curve.

Finally, Ross talks about the decision to go with a Mercedes engine, and said the final factor that saw him opt for those over Ferrari motors was the fact that it fitted the chassis better. With such a short time to get the engine fitted and running within the car, Brawn GP needed all the support they could get, and Ross is happy with the relationship they have with Mercedes.

So, for now, things are looking good. The team are set to work hard this year, and hopefully produce at least better results than Honda could achieve. They need to attract some sponsors and secure the future, but in the short term, it's simply an achievement to be on the grid in Australia.